Hay-carrier track



Nrrnn STATES ATENT OFFICE.

PHlLlP A. MYER-S, OF ASHLAND, OHIO.

HAY-CARRIER TRACK.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,055, dated April 13, 1886.

l Appliration filed October-30, 1885. Serial No. 1111,395. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP A. MYERS, of Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hay-Carrier Tracks; and Ido hereby declare that the following is afull,clear, and exact description of the same.

In the putting up of hay-carrer tracks inconvenience frequently occurs with the forms of track heretofore known, in this, that the construction of these tracks requires the services of a skilled mechanic toput them in place. This entails considerable inconvenience and expense upon the farmer. f

The object of the invention hereinafter set forth is to avoid this inconvenience and eX- pense by providing a track which, without change, may be put up equally well, securely, and rigidly by any person, whether skilled laborer or not.

My invention is also equally applicable to the use of wood or iron in theconstruction of the track.

It consists, essentially, of a track composed of two parts, placed side by side and breaking joints where necessary, the parts being held together by clamps and bolts,with a space between,in which the suspending-bolts may be located at any convenient point in the direction of the length of the track.

The details of construction are also of my invention, and are fully set forth hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows in perspective a part of a wooden track made according to my invention. Fig. 2 shows the same in cross section. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an iron track made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same, showing the position of the suspending-rod and clamps; and Fig. 5 isa crosssection showing the clamps and bolt.

The wooden track is composed of beams A A, placed side by side, and preferably Iprovide these beams for the market in pieces, all of equal length. `They are connected to each other by clamps a, which, as shown, are cast with small flanges at the ends and ridges 2 across the middle, on the same face of the clamp. rlhe upper clamps are set flush with the upper and side surfaces in transverse gains cut in the timbers to leave the surface smooth for the track on which the wheel runs.

The lower clamps require no gains; but the outer flanges,1,t into a rabbet, 3, in the lower outer corner of the beam. The ridges 2, all of the same width, lie in the space between the two beams, and determine its width, and the outer flanges hold the beams laterally. The central parts of the clamps may be thickcned on the outside, as shown at 2, to compensate for theloss of metal at the hole through which the bolt 7 passes. These bolts simply connect the clamps, but in this as in the other form shown could be extended to form the suspending-rod, if in this form the gainsliappened to occurin the right place. This,how ever, would be unreliable, and the advantage arising from the slot or space left between the timbers is, that the suspendingrod S may be inserted therein at any point in the length of the way, and being provided with a hook on its upper end to connectwith the rafter or tie beam, and a nut on its lower end, it holds the way securely suspended. For the points where the ends of two sections of beams abut wider clamps, a', are provided, and these may have spurs 6, fitting notches in the beams. In making the track the gains are cut at regularintcrvals, so that the ends of the sections on one side, as shown in Fig. 1, will lie opposite a gain in the other side, and the other gains will coincide. The sections are all alike and of uniform size, and in putting up the track the workman has only to put the pieces in place and to clamp them together. No cutting is required, except that it may be necessary to saw the overlapping section in two at the ends, and no tools are required other than a wrench and saw.

Figs. 3, 4, and5 show how the same principle may be used in connection with iron beams. Here Iuse ordinary T'irons, AA, instead of the wooden beams A A, and set these with the flanges to form vertical planes. The clamps ai are substantially the same in form andl function, having outer flanges, 11, and a central ridge, 12, these being formed by two kerfs on the under surface of the upper clamp, which, as well as the lower, iits on the anges 13 of the iron. No countersi nk is here necessary, as the carrier runs on the web 14, extending in a horizontal plane. The clamps may be set at any point, excepting that one is l required precisely to cover the joint, as at IOO vthe two beams to each other and at proper distance apart, and may be greatly variedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention so long as they are made to perform this function. Manifestly,also,the form ofthe beams may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. In putting up either form the workman may attach the suspending-rod tothe tie-beam or other support, insert its lower end between the beams l of the track, and adjust it to vertical position before fixing it in place.

I claim as my inventionl. The track for hay-carriers, formed of two beams placed side by side, with a space be, tween them, combined with upper and -lower' clamps, the connecting-bolts passing vertically through the clamps holding the two beams in fixed relation to each other, and suspendingrods inserted between the beams, substantially as described.

2. rlhe track for hay-carriers, formed of two beams placed side by side, with a space jbetween them, combined with upper and lower clamps having a ridge separating the beams,

the connecting-boltspassingverticallythrough the clamps holding the two beams in xed relation to each other, and suspending-rods 4o tween, combined with upper and lower clamps 45 fitted to hold the beams in fixed relation to each other, and a bolt passing through the upper and lower clamps and extended to formv a suspending-rod, and nuts to hold the clamps, all substantially as described.

4. The wooden beams made in pieces of uniform length, and having gains cut regu-l larly therein, so as to cause the gains to coinv eide with each other and with the joints of the beam-sections, combined with clamps f1t- 5 5 ted to the gains,whereby the beams are made v to present a smooth surface for the track, all substantially as described.

5. The wooden beams made in pieces of uniform length, and having gains cut regularly therein, so as to cause the gains to coincide with each other and with the joints of beama sections, in combination with clamps having ridges separating the beams, and with suspending-bolts in the space between the beams, all substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' PHILIP A. MYERS.

'Witnessesz P. P. LEFEVRE, H. A. MYKRANTZ. 

